OECD energy production reached new high in 2014

3 July 2015

Data released today by the International Energy Agency (IEA) show that in 2014, energy production in the 34 members of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) exceeded 4 000 Mtoe for the first time since the Agency was founded in 1974. And renewables made up 22% of all electricity generation last year among OECD members, the highest level since 1975.

Significant production increases in the United States (up 12% for oil and 5% for natural gas), Canada (9% for oil) and Australia (9% for coal) drove the OECD’s 3% gain from 2013.

The new data are available in detail from the Energy Balances of OECD Countries 2015database and book. A summary of the findings is available for free download here. All 2014 data are provisional.

On the back of the increased energy production, OECD exports reached a new high of 1 695 million tonnes of oil equivalent (Mtoe), while imports fell 2.5%. That left net OECD imports at 1 324 Mtoe, the lowest since 1995.

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Total primary energy supply (TPES), an indicator of energy use, fell across OECD countries by 1.2%, led by declines for all fossil fuels, as gas consumption dropped by 2.3%, coal by 1.9% and oil by 0.9%. A relatively warm winter in several countries was the main cause of the reduction in gas consumption.

With production increasing more than use, the level of total OECD energy self-sufficiency (defined as production/TPES) increased to 78% in 2014, comparable to 1985 levels. OECD Americas was very close to self-sufficient, at 99%, the highest level since the founding of the IEA.

Non-hydro renewable electricity generation rose 9% in 2014 to reach 9% of total generation, a new high within the OECD, lifting total renewable electricity generation to 22%, or 2 355 terawatt-hours (TWh). Generation from fossil fuels fell 160 TWh.

OECD member countries accounted for 40% of global TPES in 2013, Energy Balances of OECD Countries 2015 reports, continuing a steady decline in its relative importance in energy use. In 1971, the grouping accounted for 61% of the global energy supply.